Hallgrímur Helgason
Encyclopedia
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic painter, novelist, translator, and columnist.
Biography
Hallgrímur studied at the Art Academy of Iceland, and then the Academy of Fine Arts in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
He has worked independently as an artist and writer since 1982, and has held over twenty solo exhibitions in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
. His work has also been displayed in over 30 group exhibitions in various countries.
His first novel Hella came out in 1990. His best-known works are 101 Reykjavík, which was made into a popular film
101 Reykjavík
101 Reykjavík is a 2000 film set in Reykjavík, Iceland based on a book of the same name by Hallgrímur Helgason. It was directed by Baltasar Kormákur and stars Victoria Abril and Hilmir Snær Guðnason. The name of the film is taken from the postal code for down-town Reykjavík, "the old city"...
of the same name, and Höfundur Íslands, which won the Icelandic Literary Prize
Icelandic Literary Prize
The Icelandic Literary Prize , or Icelandic Literary Award, is an award which is given to two books each year by the Icelandic Publishers Association. The prize was founded on the association's centennial in 1989. One award is for fiction or poetry and the other for academic and non-fiction works...
in 2001. Hallgrímur was nominated again for the prize in 2005 for his novel Rokland. He has also been nominated for the Nordic Council's Literature Prize for both 101 Reykjavík and Rokland. Hallgrímur's latest novel, 10 ráð til að hætta að drepa fólk og byrja að vaska upp, was also written in English as The Hitman's Guide to House Cleaning, but has yet to be published in English.
He currently lives and works in Reykjavík.